Control System, Control Device, and Method of Controlling a Control Device

ABSTRACT

The possibility of information acquired from a recording device not being correct can be detected. A management server  20  has an information reader  63  that reads related information stored in nonvolatile memory  74  of an ink cartridge  13,  an information acquisition unit  62  that acquires related information by communication from a coupon printer CP, and a information comparison unit  64  that compares the related information read by the information reader  63  with the related information acquired by the information acquisition unit  62.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 U. S. C. §119 to JapanesePatent Application No. 2011-074399 filed on Mar. 30, 2011, the entiredisclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a control system including a controldevice and a recording device that uses an ink cartridge with a memoryunit, to a control device, and to a method of controlling the controldevice.

2. Related Art

Systems that bill for the ink used in ink cartridges used by a printerare known from the literature. See, for example, Japanese UnexaminedPatent Appl. Pub. JP-A-2002-36582.

The printer is connected over a network to a bill processing device thatruns a billing (invoicing) process in the system taught inJP-A-2002-36582, and the printer appropriately outputs informationrequired by the billing process to the bill processing device.

A problem with systems that perform a particular process based oninformation acquired from a printer, such as in a system that issuesinvoices based on information input from a printer, is that invoicescould possibly be issued based on erroneous information when, forexample, the content of the acquired information was changed as a resultof an error, or when the content was tampered with and the contentchanged.

SUMMARY

The invention enables preventing issuing invoices based on wronginformation by enabling detecting if there is a possibility thatinformation acquired from a recording device is not the correctinformation.

One aspect of the invention is a control system including a recordingdevice and a control device. The recording device has an ink cartridgeholder in which an ink cartridge with a memory unit can be installed; arecording head that records by depositing ink supplied from the inkcartridge on a recording medium; and an information writing unit thatstores related information, which is information related at least torecording, and writes to the memory unit of the ink cartridge. Thecontrol device has an information reading unit that reads the relatedinformation from the memory unit of the ink cartridge; an informationacquisition unit that can communicate with the recording device andacquires the related information in the information writing unit of therecording device; and an information comparison unit that compares therelated information read by the information reading unit and the relatedinformation acquired by the information acquisition unit.

The related information read from the memory unit of the ink cartridge,and the related information acquired from the recording device, onlydiffer in the path whereby they are acquired by the control device, andtheir content should therefore match. If this information does notmatch, one of the values can be concluded to not be correct because ofan error or tampering.

By comparing the related information read from the memory unit of theink cartridge and the related information acquired from the recordingdevice by communication, the possibility that the related informationacquired from the ink cartridge or the recording device containsincorrect information can be detected.

In a control system according to another aspect of the invention, therecording device has an ink consumption detection unit that detects atleast the ink consumed by recording on the recording medium by therecording head; the information writing unit of the recording devicestores information denoting the ink consumption detected by the inkconsumption detection unit as the related information, and writes to thememory unit of the ink cartridge; the information reading unit of thecontrol device reads the information denoting ink consumption stored inthe memory unit of the ink cartridge; the information acquisition unitof the control device acquires the information denoting ink consumptionstored in the information writing unit of the recording device; and theinformation comparison unit of the control device compares theinformation denoting ink consumption read by the information readingunit with the information denoting ink consumption acquired by theinformation acquisition unit.

This aspect of the invention enables detecting the possibility that theacquired information denoting ink consumption is not correct.

When the control system issues invoices based on information denotingink consumption, this aspect of the invention enables preventinginvoicing based on information indicating incorrect ink consumption, andthe invention is therefore particularly effective in such systems.

In a control system according to another aspect of the invention, therecording device has an error information generating unit that generateserror information related to an error that occurred; the informationwriting unit of the recording device stores the error informationgenerated by the error information generating unit as the relatedinformation, and writes the error information in the memory unit of theink cartridge; the information reading unit of the control device readsthe error information stored in the memory unit of the ink cartridge;the information acquisition unit of the control device acquires theerror information stored in the information writing unit of therecording device; and the information comparison unit of the controldevice compares the error information read by the information readingunit, and the error information acquired by the information acquisitionunit.

This aspect of the invention enables detecting the possibility that theacquired error information is not correct.

Error information enables the control system to reference the inkcartridge history, and is therefore particularly useful. By comparingerror information read from the memory unit of the ink cartridge anderror information acquired from the recording device by communication,this aspect of the invention can detect if any of the acquired errorinformation is not correct based on the result of the comparison.

In a control system according to another aspect of the invention, thecontrol device has a control unit that generates invoice informationbased on the related information when the comparison by the informationcomparison unit determines the information is the same (that the relatedinformation read from the memory unit of the ink cartridge, and therelated information acquired from the recording device by communication,match).

This aspect of the invention enables quickly knowing the result ofcomparison by the information comparison unit. Billing information forissuing invoices can also be generated when the related information readfrom the memory unit of the ink cartridge and the related informationacquired from the recording device by communication match. Generatingbilling information when the information does not match can also beprevented.

In a control system according to another aspect of the invention, therecording device has a detection unit that detects the ink remaining inthe ink cartridge, or a computation unit that calculates the inkremaining in the ink cartridge based on an ink volume ejected from therecording head; the information writing unit of the recording devicestores ink end information indicating ink depletion as the relatedinformation when the detection unit or computation unit determines theremaining ink level is below a specific level, and writes to the memoryunit of the ink cartridge; the information reading unit of the controldevice reads the ink end information stored in the memory unit of theink cartridge; the information acquisition unit of the control deviceacquires the ink end information stored in the information writing unitof the recording device; and the information comparison unit of thecontrol device compares the ink end information read by the informationreading unit, and the ink end information acquired by the informationacquisition unit.

By comparing the ink end information read from the memory unit of theink cartridge and the ink end information acquired from the recordingdevice by communication, the possibility that the related informationacquired from the ink cartridge or the recording device containsincorrect information can be detected.

In a control system according to another aspect of the invention, thecontrol device has a control unit that determines based on the resultread by the information reading unit if the ink end information iswritten to the memory unit, and if the ink end information is written,runs a process based on depletion of ink in the ink cartridge.

The detection unit detects the remaining ink level by, for example,detecting the position of the surface of the ink in the ink cartridgeusing a photosensor that detects the level at which light passes or doesnot pass. The calculator can calculate the remaining ink by counting thenumber of shots when ink is ejected from the recording head forrecording, converting the shot count to a volume of ink, and subtractingthis converted ink volume from the volume of ink contained in a full inkcartridge. The ink used for non-printing applications, such as flushing,is also considered when counting the remaining ink.

In this aspect of the invention, ink end information indicating the endof ink is written to the memory unit of the ink cartridge if theremaining ink in the ink cartridge is below a certain level. As aresult, the control device can quickly and easily detect if an inkcartridge has run out of ink based on whether or not the ink endinformation is written to the memory unit of the ink cartridge, and whenan ink cartridge is out of ink can execute an appropriate process basedon knowing the ink cartridge is out of ink.

For example, because the ink left in an ink cartridge that is depletedis substantially constant, the control device can store this value inmemory and easily estimate the remaining ink instead of individuallycalculating or detecting the remaining ink level. The control device canalso estimate how much ink was used by subtracting the estimatedremaining ink from the ink in a full cartridge.

This aspect of the invention can detect the remaining ink much moreeasily than when individually detecting the remaining ink level orcalculating the remaining ink. Because ink cartridges that have run outof ink are normally collected as spent cartridges, the ink cartridgescan be processed uniformly, process efficiency can be improved, and thetime required for calculating the remaining ink and ink usage can beshortened by using the ink end information to estimate (calculate) theremaining ink in each ink cartridge and ink usage.

The ink cartridge can also be refilled with ink.

The stored related information can also be read and referenced from anink cartridge recovered for refilling.

Another aspect of the invention is a control device that iscommunicatively connected to a recording device that has an inkcartridge holder in which an ink cartridge with a memory unit can beinstalled, a recording head that records by depositing ink supplied fromthe ink cartridge on a recording medium, and an information writing unitthat stores related information, which is information related at leastto recording, and writes to the memory unit of the ink cartridge, thecontrol device including: an information acquisition unit that cancommunicate with the recording device and acquires the relatedinformation in the information writing unit of the recording device; aninformation reading unit that can communicate with the ink cartridge andreads the related information in the memory unit of the ink cartridge;and an information comparison unit that compares the related informationread by the information reading unit and the related informationacquired by the information acquisition unit.

By comparing the related information read from the memory unit of theink cartridge and the related information acquired from the recordingdevice by communication, the control device in this aspect of theinvention can detect the possibility that the related informationacquired from the ink cartridge or the recording device containsincorrect information.

Another aspect of the invention is a control method of a control device,including steps of: acquiring related information stored in theinformation writing unit of a that has an ink cartridge holder in whichan ink cartridge with a memory unit can be installed, a recording headthat records by depositing ink supplied from the ink cartridge on arecording medium, and an information writing unit that stores relatedinformation, which is information related at least to recording, andwrites to the memory unit of the ink cartridge; reading the relatedinformation in the memory unit of the ink cartridge; and comparing therelated information read by the information reading unit and the relatedinformation acquired by the information acquisition unit.

By comparing the related information read from the memory unit of theink cartridge and the related information acquired from the recordingdevice by communication, the control method according to another aspectof the invention can detect the possibility that the related informationacquired from the ink cartridge or the recording device containsincorrect information.

Another aspect of the invention is storage medium storing a programexecuted by a control unit for controlling parts of a control device,the program causing the control unit to function as an informationacquisition unit that can communicate with a recording device that hasan ink cartridge holder in which an ink cartridge with a memory unit canbe installed, a recording head that records by depositing ink suppliedfrom the ink cartridge on a recording medium, and an information writingunit that stores related information, which is information related atleast to recording, and writes to the memory unit of the ink cartridge,and acquires the related information in the information writing unit ofthe recording device; an information reading unit that can communicatewith the ink cartridge and reads the related information in the memoryunit of the ink cartridge; and an information comparison unit thatcompares the related information read by the information reading unitand the related information acquired by the information acquisitionunit.

Because the related information read from the memory unit of the inkcartridge and the related information acquired from the recording deviceby communication are compared by running this program, the possibilitythat the related information acquired from the ink cartridge or therecording device contains incorrect information can be detected.

Effect of the Invention

The invention enables detecting when information acquired from arecording device is possibly not correct.

Other objects and attainments together with a fuller understanding ofthe invention will become apparent and appreciated by referring to thefollowing description and claims taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a control system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a coupon printer and a coupon printercontrol computer.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of acentral server.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of amanagement server.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of management server operation.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below withreference to the accompanying figures.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system1 according to this embodiment of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control system 1 has a store system 10. Therecould be only one instead of plural store systems 10.

The store system 10 is a system that is deployed in a store such as asupermarket or convenience store, and has at least a function forissuing coupons to customers of the store.

The store system 10 has a plurality of coupon printers CP for printingcoupons, and a coupon printer control computer 12 that controls theprinters is connected to each coupon printer CP (recording device).There may be only one instead of plural coupon printers CP. The printerCP is an inkjet printer that has an inkjet head 11 (FIG. 2), which is arecording head capable of ejecting ink supplied from an ink cartridge 13while the recording medium is conveyed in a primary scanning direction,ejects and deposits ink from the inkjet head 11 onto the recordingmedium, and records color images on the recording medium.

An IC chip 70 is disposed to the ink cartridge 13 that supplies ink tothe inkjet head 11, and this IC chip 70 includes nonvolatile memory 74(FIG. 2) as a memory unit. The detailed configuration of the IC chip 70,and how the IC chip 70 is used, are further described below.

A coupon printer CP is typically installed in a store at each of pluralcheckout registers in the store, and issues specific coupons at specifictimes as controlled by the coupon printer control computer 12.

As shown in FIG. 1, plural store systems 10 are connected to a centralserver 18 in this control system 1. More specifically, the couponprinter control computer 12 of each store system 10 is communicativelyconnected to a central server 18.

The central server 18 centrally controls the coupon printer controlcomputer 12 installed in each store system 10.

The central server 18 and store system 10 are managed by an entity thatruns the store. This entity that runs the store also installs thecentral server 18 in the corporate headquarters, for example, whenconstructing the store system 10, and manages the store systems 10through the central server 18. For convenience below, the entity thatruns the store is referred to as the user U.

The central server 18 is connected to a management server 20 (controldevice) through a network 19 such as the Internet. The central server 18and management server 20 communicate securely by communication using aspecific encryption protocol, communication over a virtual privatenetwork, or communication over a dedicated physical line.

The management server 20 is a server that is managed by the manufacturerM, which is an entity that manufactures and sells the ink cartridges 13filled with ink.

In this embodiment of the invention the manufacturer M provides aservice of collecting and recycling spent ink cartridges 13 that were inthe store.

The spent ink cartridges 13 are collected by, for example, theuserUshipping or mailing the spent ink cartridges 13 to the manufacturerM, a manufacturer M sales representative visiting the store in person atscheduled times or when requested by the user U to collect the inkcartridges 13, or by a third-party systems integrator, for example,collecting the ink cartridges 13.

The collected spent ink cartridges 13 are then disposed of in anenvironmentally responsible manner, or refilled and reused, in order tomore effectively utilize resources and reduce the impact on theenvironment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of thecoupon printer CP and the coupon printer control computer 12 thatcontrols the coupon printer CP.

The coupon printer CP is an inkjet printer, and is capable of performingat least a cleaning operation and flushing operation.

The cleaning operation is an operation that forcibly suctions inkaccumulated in the nozzles in order to prevent the viscosity of ink thatis left inside the nozzles (not shown in the figure) of the inkjet head11 (FIG. 2) from increasing over time in order to prevent ink ejectionproblems caused by viscous ink.

The coupon printer CP has a mechanism that applies negative pressure tothe nozzles of the inkjet head 11 to suction ink from inside thenozzles, and performs the flushing operation using this mechanism.

This cleaning operation may be performed automatically by the printercontrol unit 23, or when triggered by the user U (such as an operator inthe store) issuing a cleaning command. When the cleaning operation isperformed by a user command, an ink ejection problem has occurred orsomething suggesting an ejection problem has happened, and the cleaningoperation is performed to solve the problem.

The flushing operation is an operation that ejects ink from the nozzlesto replace the ink left in the nozzles with fresh ink when ink is notejected onto the recording medium.

In an inkjet head 11 with numerous nozzles, ink left in the nozzles candry and increase in viscosity over time, leading to ink ejectionproblems.

The flushing operation is an operation performed to prevent such inkejection problems by discharging a specific amount of ink from thenozzles of the inkjet head 11 to replace the ink left in the nozzleswith fresh ink.

The flushing operation is performed automatically after moving theinkjet head 11 to the home position HP after the passage of a specifictime while recording is in progress, or when other specific conditionsare met.

As shown in FIG. 2, the coupon printer CP includes a printer controlunit 23, print engine 24, printer display unit 25, printer input unit29, printer interface 26, printer memory unit 27, and printercommunication control unit 30.

The printer control unit 23 centrally controls other parts of the couponprinter CP, and includes a CPU as an operating unit, ROM thatnonvolatilely stores the firmware that is executed by the CPU in acomputer-readable manner, RAM that temporarily stores the programexecuted by the CPU and data used in the program, and other peripheralcircuits. The printer control unit 23 also has an ink consumptiondetection unit 31, error information generating unit 32, and informationwriting unit 33 as further described below.

The print engine 24 produces coupons as controlled by the printercontrol unit 23 by operating the inkjet head 11, a paper feed motor thatdrives a paper feed roller that conveys the recording medium, and acarriage drive motor that drives the carriage to make the inkjet head 11scan in the primary scanning direction and record an image on therecording medium while monitoring output from various sensors.

The printer display unit 25 has an LCD or other type of display panel,and displays information on the display panel as controlled by theprinter control unit 23. The printer input unit 29 is connected toswitches disposed to the coupon printer CP, detects operation of theswitches, and outputs to the printer control unit 23.

The printer-side interface 26 communicates with the coupon printercontrol computer 12 as controlled by the printer control unit 23according to a specific communication protocol.

The printer memory unit 27 includes EEPROM or a hard disk drive, forexample, and stores data rewritably.

The ink cartridge 13 is installed in an ink cartridge holder 28. An inkinlet for supplying ink to the inkjet head 11 is formed in the inkcartridge holder 28.

The printer communication control unit 30 communicates with thechip-side communication control unit 71 in the IC chip 70 of the inkcartridge 13 by, for example, near-field communication conforming to aspecific standard or by communication over a wire connected to a pin ofthe chip-side communication control unit 71 in the IC chip 70.

When data is transmitted in near-field communication, the printercommunication control unit 30 encodes and outputs the transmission datato a modem unit, the modem unit modulates the encoded transmission dataand outputs to an RF unit, and the RF unit outputs the modulatedtransmission data as radio signals over an antenna to the chip-sidecommunication control unit 71. When receiving data, the RF unit outputsthe RF signal received from the chip-side communication control unit 71through the antenna to the modem unit, and the modem unit decodes andoutputs the received data based on the signal input from the RF unit tothe printer control unit 23.

As described above, ink is supplied from the ink cartridge 13 to theinkjet head 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, an IC chip 70 is disposed to the ink cartridge 13,and the IC chip 70 includes the foregoing chip-side communicationcontrol unit 71, a chip-side control unit 72, a memory interface 73, andnonvolatile memory 74 (memory unit).

The chip-side control unit 72 centrally controls other parts of the ICchip 70.

The chip-side communication control unit 71 communicates with theprinter communication control unit 30 using the same method as theforegoing printer communication control unit 30 as controlled by thechip-side communication control unit 71 using near-field communicationconforming to a specific standard or by communication over a wireconnected to a pin of the chip-side communication control unit 71 in theIC chip 70.

The nonvolatile memory 74 has memory devices included in the IC chip 70,and rewritably and nonvolatiley stores data.

The chip-side control unit 72 accesses the nonvolatile memory 74 throughthe memory interface 73, and can write data to the chip-sidecommunication control unit 71 and read data from the nonvolatile memory74.

Power is supplied to parts of the IC chip 70 during near-fieldcommunication using radio waves for supplying power received from theprinter communication control unit 30. Alternatively, a battery could bedisposed to the ink cartridge 13 and power could be supplied from thebattery.

The printer control unit 23 and chip-side control unit 72 couldalternatively communicate by wire in this embodiment.

The IC chip 70 has the nonvolatile memory 74 mounted on a substrate withelectrodes for the signal lines of the nonvolatile memory 74 exposedfrom the substrate. Electrode pins for contact with the electrodes onthe nonvolatile memory 74 side are disposed to the printer communicationcontrol unit 30, and the nonvolatile memory 74 can be accessed and dataread through these electrode pins.

The ink consumption detection unit 31 of the printer control unit 23 isdescribed next.

The ink consumption detection unit 31 counts the cumulative shot count,which is the number of times ink from the ink cartridge 13 is ejectedfrom the inkjet head 11 (the number of shots) after the ink cartridge 13is installed to the coupon printer CP.

More specifically, the printer memory unit 27 stores a first cumulativeshot count 41, which is the total (cumulative shot count) number oftimes ink is ejected from the ink cartridge 13 from when the inkcartridge 13 is installed to the coupon printer CP to the present. Theink consumption detection unit 31 keeps the cumulative shot count byincrementing the value indicated by the first cumulative shot count 41for one ink cartridge 13 each time ink in the one ink cartridge 13 isejected once from one nozzle. For example, when ink from one inkcartridge 13 is ejected 100 times by the inkjet head 11 to record animage to the recording medium, the value indicated by the firstcumulative shot count 41 for that one ink cartridge 13 is the sum of thecount before the image was recorded plus 100.

The cumulative shot count counted by the ink consumption detection unit31 in this embodiment of the invention does not include the amount ofink from the ink cartridge 13 filling the path to the inkjet head 11, orthe number of shots used in the cleaning operation or flushing operationdescribed above. This is because, as further described below, invoicingis based in this control system 1 on the cumulative shot count that iskept, but ink consumed in the cleaning operation and flushing operationis not deposited on the recording medium, that is, is not used to recordan image on the recording medium, and is therefore not usedintentionally by the user. As a result, the amount corresponding to theamount of ink used in these operations should not be subject to billing,and therefore should not be included in the cumulative shot count.

The operation of the error information generating unit 32 in the printercontrol unit 23 is described next.

The error information generating unit 32 generates a first error logfile 42 stored in the printer memory unit 27 when an error occurs. Thecontent of this file may be changed as needed.

The first error log file 42 is a file that records errors that occurredin the coupon printer CP in chronological order as text data, and morespecifically is a file that stores records including when (date, time)an error occurred, the name of the error, and the content of the error.

Errors include, for example, errors related to the inkjet head 11,carriage, sensors, motors, and other devices and mechanisms; errorsrelated to inkjet head 11 ejection problems, paper conveyance problems,and recording operations; and errors that occur when running softwareprocesses, including memory overflow errors and variable assignmenterrors.

The error information generating unit 32 monitors the occurrence oferrors while the coupon printer CP power is on, and when an error isdetected, writes a record including the date and time the erroroccurred, name of the errors, and the error content for that error inthe first error log file 42.

The error information generating unit 32 maintains a first error logfile 42 for each ink cartridge 13. More specifically, when an inkcartridge 13 is installed, the error information generating unit 32creates a first error log file 42 for that one ink cartridge 13. Theerror information generating unit 32 then continues writing errorinformation for each error that occurs to that first error log file 42until the one ink cartridge 13 is removed and replaced.

The information writing unit 33 is described next.

The information writing unit 33 controls the printer communicationcontrol unit 30 to make the chip-side control unit 72 rewrite thecontent of a second cumulative shot count 80 and second error log file81 in nonvolatile memory 74.

The second cumulative shot count 80 is cumulative shot count datadescribed above, and the second error log file 81 contains the data fromthe error log.

The information writing unit 33 rewrites the second cumulative shotcount 80 stored in the nonvolatile memory 74 of the IC chip 70appropriately when the ink consumption detection unit 31 writes thefirst cumulative shot count 41 in the printer memory unit 27.

The information writing unit 33 also rewrites the second error log file81 stored in the nonvolatile memory 74 of the IC chip 70 appropriatelywhen the error information generating unit 32 writes information to thefirst error log file 42 of the printer memory unit 27.

In addition, when the operation whereby the ink cartridge 13 is removedfrom the coupon printer CP is detected to start, the information writingunit 33 could rewrite the second cumulative shot count 80 and seconderror log file 81 stored in the nonvolatile memory 74 of the IC chip 70based on the first cumulative shot count 41 and first error log file 42in the printer memory unit 27.

More specifically, data can be rewritten by the information writing unit33 at any time if the value of the second cumulative shot count 80stored in the nonvolatile memory 74 of the spent ink cartridge 13 is thevalue indicating the cumulative shot count from the time when the inkcartridge 13 was installed to the coupon printer CP to the time when theink cartridge 13 was removed, and the content of the second error logfile 81 is an error log related to errors that occurred between when theink cartridge 13 was installed to the coupon printer CP until the inkcartridge 13 was removed, when the ink cartridge 13 is removed from thecoupon printer CP as a spent ink cartridge 13. In this case, the firstcumulative shot count 41 and the second cumulative shot count 80 areidentical, and the first error log file 42 and second error log file 81are identical, when the ink cartridge 13 is removed from the couponprinter CP.

Note that a real-time clock (RTC) is connected to the printer controlunit 23, and the printer control unit 23 can detect the current date andtime based on input from the RTC.

As shown in FIG. 2, the coupon printer control computer 12 has a hostcontrol unit 36 that controls other parts of the coupon printer controlcomputer 12, a host display unit 37 that displays information on adisplay panel, a host input unit 38 that detects operation of the inputdevices and outputs to the host control unit 36, a host memory unit 39that rewritably stores data, and a host-side communication interface 40for communicating with the coupon printer CP and central server 18.

When a printer driver for controlling the coupon printer CP is installedto the coupon printer control computer 12 and a coupon is printed, thehost control unit 36 generates control commands for performing theoperations used to produce a coupon by reading and executing the printerdriver, and outputs the control commands to the coupon printer CP.

The printer control unit 23 of the coupon printer CP then controls theprint engine based on the input control commands and performs theoperations related to producing a coupon.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of thecentral server 18.

As shown in FIG. 3, the central server 18 has a central server controlunit 43 that centrally controls other parts of the central server 18, acentral server display unit 44 that display information on a displaypanel, a central server input unit 45 that detects input deviceoperations and outputs to the central server control unit 43, a centralserver memory unit 46 that rewritably stores data, and a server-sidecommunication interface 47 for communicating with the coupon printercontrol computer 12.

The data transmission unit 48 of the central server control unit 43 isdescribed below.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of themanagement server 20.

As shown in FIG. 4, the management server 20 has a management servercontrol unit 56 that centrally controls parts of the management server20, a management server display unit 57 that displays information on adisplay panel, a management server input unit 58 that detects inputdevice operations and outputs to the management server control unit 56,a management server memory unit 59 that stores data rewritably, and amanagement server-side communication interface 60 for communicating withthe central server 18 over the network 19.

The management server communication control unit 61 communicates withthe chip-side communication control unit 71 of the ink cartridge 13 ascontrolled by the management server control unit 56. The method ofcommunication is the same as that of the printer communication controlunit 30 described above.

The coupon printer CP could be connected and used instead of themanagement server communication control unit 61. In this case, a spentink cartridge 13 that was collected is installed to the coupon printerCP, and data is acquired from the printer communication control unit 30through the interface 60. The management server control unit 56 includesan information acquisition unit 62, an information reader 63, aninformation comparison unit 64, and a warning unit 65 as furtherdescribed below.

The information acquisition unit 62 of the management server controlunit 56 is described next together with the data relay unit 85 of thecoupon printer control computer 12 and the data transmission unit 48 ofthe central server 18. The functions of the information acquisition unit62, data relay unit 85, and data transmission unit 48 are achieved bycooperation between hardware and software, such as by the CPU running aprogram.

The information acquisition unit 62 gets the first cumulative shot count41 and first error log file 42 for the one ink cartridge 13 from thecoupon printer CP when one ink cartridge 13 is removed from the couponprinter CP.

More specifically, when the printer control unit 23 detects that the inkcartridge 13 will be replaced as a result of input from the printerinput unit 29 to replace the ink cartridge 13, the printer control unit23 informs the data relay unit 85 of the host control unit 36accordingly. Note that the user operates a particular switch on thecoupon printer CP to replace the ink cartridge 13, and the printercontrol unit 23 determines that the ink cartridge 13 will be replacedwhen input from this switch is detected.

The data relay unit 85 then controls the printer control unit 23 to sendthe first cumulative shot count 41 and first error log file 42 stored inthe printer memory unit 27 to the data relay unit 85. When the firstcumulative shot count 41 and first error log file 42 are received fromthe printer control unit 23, the data relay unit 85 passes the receiveddata to the data transmission unit 48 of the central server control unit43 of the central server 18.

The data transmission unit 48 receives the first cumulative shot count41 and first error log file 42 from the data relay unit 85, and thensends this data through the network 19 to the information acquisitionunit 62 of the management server 20.

The information acquisition unit 62 gets the first cumulative shot count41 and first error log file 42 by receiving them from the datatransmission unit 48.

The information acquisition unit 62 then stores the received firstcumulative shot count 41 and first error log file 42 in the managementserver memory unit 59.

Operation of the management server 20 is described next together withthe information reader 63, information comparison unit 64, and warningunit 65.

The functions of the information reader 63, information comparison unit64, and warning unit 65 are achieved by cooperation of hardware andsoftware, such as a CPU running a program.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the operation of the management server 20.

In the operation described below, a ink cartridge 13 is removed from thecoupon printer CP for replacement after being used in the coupon printerCP, and after being collected by the manufacturer M is placed in aspecific location enabling wireless communication between the managementserver communication control unit 61 and the chip-side communicationcontrol unit 71. The control system 1 according to this embodiment ofthe invention performs the process described below for each spent inkcartridge 13.

Note, further, that the first cumulative shot count 41 and first errorlog file 42 are recovered and contain the data related to the inkcartridge 13 set to the specific location. More specifically, the firstcumulative shot count 41 and first error log file 42 is the data that isacquired by the information acquisition unit 62 and stored in themanagement server memory unit 59 when the ink cartridge 13 set in thespecific location is removed from the coupon printer CP.

As shown in FIG. 5, the information reader 63 of the management servercontrol unit 56 in the management server 20 controls the managementserver communication control unit 61 to read the second cumulative shotcount 80 and second error log file 81 stored in the nonvolatile memory74 of the ink cartridge 13 (step SA1).

The information comparison unit 64 of the management server control unit56 then compares the first cumulative shot count 41 stored in themanagement server memory unit 59 with the second cumulative shot count80 read in step SA1 (step SA2). Note that the value denoted by the firstcumulative shot count 41 and the value denoted by the second cumulativeshot count 80 are compared in step SA2 without considering the dataformat or differences in data type. More specifically, step SA2 simplydetermines if the content of the data is the same (whether the datamatches or not).

A case in which the value denoted by the first cumulative shot count 41and the value denoted by the second cumulative shot count 80 differ isconsidered next.

As described above, the first cumulative shot count 41 and secondcumulative shot count 80 are both data denoting the cumulative shotcount during the period in which the ink cartridge 13 was installed tothe coupon printer CP, and the values denoted by the data shouldtherefore be the same. The values denoted by the data are assumed todiffer in the following situations.

First is when the data has been tampered with by a third part when thefirst cumulative shot count 41 is input through the coupon printercontrol computer 12, central server 18, and network 19 to the managementserver 20.

A third party could also access the nonvolatile memory 74 in the IC chip70 of the ink cartridge 13 and tamper with the data in the process inwhich the spent ink cartridge 13 is recovered by the manufacturer M.

The first cumulative shot count 41 and/or second cumulative shot count80 may also not be updated correctly due to a bug in the program thatwrites data to memory, a temporary write error, an error in the processthat manages the cumulative shot count, or other chronic or temporarysoftware or hardware error.

As a result, if the value denoted by the first cumulative shot count 41and the value denoted by the second cumulative shot count 80 differ, oneof the values is determined to be incorrect due to tampering, error, orother cause.

Therefore, if the data content is determined to not match (not be thesame) as a result of the information comparison unit 64 comparing thecontent of the first cumulative shot count 41 and second cumulative shotcount 80 (step SA3 returns No), the warning unit 65 of the managementserver control unit 56 controls the management server display unit 57and displays an appropriate message on the display panel (step SA4).

The user U can therefore quickly know that either the first cumulativeshot count 41 or the second cumulative shot count 80 is incorrect, andcan start to determine the cause of the mismatch and resolve the datamismatch.

However, if the first cumulative shot count 41 and second cumulativeshot count 80 are determined to match (be the same) (step SA3 returnsYes), the management server control unit 56 runs a billing process togenerate invoice information, for example (step SA5).

This billing process calculates the invoice amount based on thecumulative shot count indicated by the first cumulative shot count 41and second cumulative shot count 80, and issues an invoice, for example.

This embodiment of the invention thus issues an invoice based on thecumulative shot count indicated by the first cumulative shot count 41and second cumulative shot count 80 only when these counts match. As aresult, invoicing based on the cumulative shot count can be reliablyprevented when something that creates a mismatch between the firstcumulative shot count 41 and second cumulative shot count 80 occurs andthe trust level of the cumulative shot count values indicated by thedata is low. More particularly, when the cumulative shot count isincorrect, the amount billed to the user U will also be incorrect andthe user U may be unfairly disadvantaged, and this can be effectivelyprevented by the invention.

Returning to FIG. 5, after step SA4 or step SA5, the informationcomparison unit 64 compares the first error log file 42 stored in themanagement server memory unit 59 and the second error log file 81 readin step SA1 (step SA6). The content of the first error log file 42 andthe content of the second error log file 81 are compared in step SA6 todetermine if the content of the files is the same without consideringthe data format, differences in data type, and location of data in thelog.

If the result of the comparison by the information comparison unit 64 isthat the content of the first error log file 42 and second error logfile 81 do not match (step SA7 returns No), the warning unit 65 displaysan appropriate message on the display panel to warn the user (step SA8).As a result, the user U can quickly know that the first error log file42 and the second error log file 81 do not match.

However, if the content of the first error log file 42 and the seconderror log file 81 match (step SA7 returns Yes), the management servercontrol unit 56 updates the error information database 86 stored in themanagement server memory unit 59 based on the content of these logs.

A configuration that does not run the billing process when the firstcumulative shot count 41 and second cumulative shot count 80 match (stepSA3 returns Yes), and runs the billing process to generate invoiceinformation, for example, when the content of the first error log file42 and second error log file 81 matches (step SA7 returns Yes), is alsoconceivable. Further alternatively, a configuration that runs thebilling process when either the counts match or the log files match isalso conceivable.

The error information database 86 is a database that manages errors thatoccur for each model of printer provided by the manufacturer M,including the coupon printer CP.

For example, the error information database 86 stores the tendency forerrors to occur, the frequency of specific errors, information showing arelationship between one error and another error, and othererror-related information, for each printer model.

The error information database 86 is used as valuable information by themanufacturer M to analyze the tendency for errors in specific printermodels sold by the manufacturer M, to address errors that occur, andwhen developing new printers.

A program including an algorithm related to a process for updating theerror information database 86 based on an input log file so that thecontent of that one log file is appropriately reflected in the errorinformation database 86 is stored on the management server 20, and themanagement server 20 updates the error information database 86 byrunning this program.

As described above, the error information database 86 is valuableinformation used to analyze the tendency for errors in specific printermodels sold by the manufacturer M, to address errors that occur, andwhen developing new printers. A certain level of accuracy is thereforerequired for the first error log file 42 and second error log file 81used as the source data for updating the error information database 86.

The error information database 86 is therefore updated based on thecontent of the first error log file 42 and second error log file 81 onlywhen the log file contents match. Updating the error informationdatabase 86 can therefore be reliably prevented when something thatcreates a mismatch between the first error log file 42 and second errorlog file 81 occurs and the trust level of the file contents is low.

As described above, the management server 20 according to thisembodiment of the invention has an information reader 63 that reads thesecond cumulative shot count 80 and the second error log file 81(related information) stored in the nonvolatile memory 74 of the inkcartridge 13; an information acquisition unit 62 that acquires the firstcumulative shot count 41 and the first error log file 42 (relatedinformation) from the coupon printer CP by communication with the couponprinter CP; and an information comparison unit 64 that compares the dataread by the information reader 63 with the data acquired by theinformation acquisition unit 62.

As a result, if any of the data used for comparison is not correct, thepossibility that incorrect information is contained in the acquired datacan be detected based on the result of the comparison by the informationcomparison unit 64 because the comparison will detect a data mismatch.

In this embodiment of the invention the information comparison unit 64compares the first cumulative shot count 41 (information indicating inkconsumption) and the second cumulative shot count 80 (informationindicating ink consumption). Only if the first cumulative shot count 41and the second cumulative shot count 80 match does this embodimentgenerate an invoice based on the cumulative shot count indicated by thisdata.

As a result, invoicing based on the cumulative shot count can bereliably prevented when something that creates a mismatch between thefirst cumulative shot count 41 and second cumulative shot count 80occurs and the trust level of the cumulative shot count values indicatedby the data is low. More particularly, when the cumulative shot count isincorrect, the amount billed to the user U will also be incorrect andthe user U may be unfairly disadvantaged, and this can be effectivelyprevented by the invention.

The information comparison unit 64 in this embodiment compares thecontent of the first error log file 42 (error information related toerrors that occurred) and the second error log file 81 (errorinformation related to errors that occurred). This embodiment alsoupdates the error information database 86 based on the content of thesefiles only if the contents of the first error log file 42 and the seconderror log file 81 match.

As a result, updating the error information database 86 can be reliablyprevented when something that creates a mismatch between the first errorlog file 42 and second error log file 81 occurs and the trust level ofthe file contents is low.

The management server 20 in this embodiment also has a warning unit 65that reports when the result of comparison by the information comparisonunit 64 is that the data is not the same.

The result of comparison by the information comparison unit 64 cantherefore be quickly known.

It will be obvious to one with ordinary skill in the related art thatthe foregoing is one example of the invention, and can be modified andadapted in many ways without departing from the scope of theaccompanying claims.

For example, the following functions could also be provided. Morespecifically, a coupon printer CP that has a detection unit fordetecting the remaining ink in the ink cartridge 13, and a calculatorfor calculating the remaining ink in the ink cartridge 13 based on theamount of ink ejected from the inkjet head 11, is also conceivable.

The detection unit detects the remaining ink level by, for example,detecting the position of the surface of the ink in the ink cartridge 13using a photosensor that detects the level at which light passes or doesnot pass. The calculator can calculate the remaining amount of ink bycounting the number of shots when ink is ejected from the inkjet head 11for recording, converting the shot count to a volume of ink, andsubtracting this converted ink volume from the volume of ink containedin a full ink cartridge. The amount of ink used for non-printingapplications, such as flushing, is also considered when counting theamount of remaining ink.

The information writing unit 33 of the coupon printer CP writes ink endinformation indicating the depletion of ink in the nonvolatile memory 74of the ink cartridge 13 when the amount of remaining ink is detected bythe detection unit or calculator to be below a specific level. Based onthe information read by the information reader 63, the management server20 determines if the ink end information is written to the nonvolatilememory 74 of the ink cartridge 13, and if the ink end information hasbeen written, runs a process based on the ink cartridge 13 being out ofink.

In this aspect of the invention, ink end information indicating the endof ink is written to the nonvolatile memory 74 of the ink cartridge 13if the remaining ink level of the ink cartridge 13 is below a certainlevel. As a result, the management server 20 can quickly and easilydetect if an ink cartridge 13 has run out of ink based on whether or notthe ink end information is written to the nonvolatile memory 74 of theink cartridge 13, and when an ink cartridge is out of ink can execute anappropriate process based on knowing the ink cartridge 13 is out of ink.

For example, because the amount of ink left in an ink cartridge 13 thatis depleted is substantially constant, the management server 20 canstore this value in memory and easily estimate the remaining amount ofink instead of individually calculating or detecting the remaining inklevel. The management server 20 can also estimate how much ink was usedby subtracting the estimated remaining amount of ink from the amount ofink in a full cartridge.

This aspect of the invention can detect the amount of remaining ink muchmore easily than when individually detecting the remaining ink level orcalculating the amount of remaining ink. Because ink cartridges thathave run out of ink are normally collected as spent cartridges, the inkcartridges can be processed uniformly, process efficiency can beimproved, and the time required for calculating the amount of remainingink and ink usage can be shortened by using the ink end information toestimate (calculate) the amount of remaining ink in each ink cartridgeand ink usage.

The first cumulative shot count 41, first error log file 42, secondcumulative shot count 80, and second error log file 81 are used asrelated information in the embodiment described above, but the relatedinformation is not so limited. More specifically, the relatedinformation can be any information that requires examining to determineif the information is correct, can be acquired from a coupon printer CPor other recording device by communication, and can be written tononvolatile memory 74 in the ink cartridge 13.

In addition, a first error log file 42 and second error log file 81storing data in a log format are used as examples of error informationrelated to errors that occur in the embodiment described above. However,the error information is not limited to data in a log format, and couldbe information showing the errors that occurred in a list format, orinformation denoting the number of occurrences of each error. In otherwords, the error information can be any information related to errorsregardless of the format.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that it may bevaried in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as adeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all suchmodifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intendedto be included within the scope of the following claims.

1. A control system including a recording device and a control device,wherein: the recording device has an ink cartridge holder in which anink cartridge with a memory unit can be installed, a recording head thatrecords by depositing ink supplied from the ink cartridge on a recordingmedium, and an information writing unit that stores related information,which is information related at least to recording, and writes to thememory unit of the ink cartridge; and the control device has aninformation reading unit that can communicate with the ink cartridge andreads the related information in the memory unit of the ink cartridge,an information acquisition unit that can communicate with the recordingdevice and acquires the related information in the information writingunit of the recording device, and an information comparison unit thatcompares the related information read by the information reading unitand the related information acquired by the information acquisitionunit.
 2. The recording system described in claim 1, wherein: therecording device has an ink consumption detection unit that detects atleast the ink consumed by recording on the recording medium by therecording head; the information writing unit of the recording devicestores information denoting the ink consumption detected by the inkconsumption detection unit as the related information, and writes to thememory unit of the ink cartridge; the information reading unit of thecontrol device reads the information denoting ink consumption stored inthe memory unit of the ink cartridge; the information acquisition unitof the control device acquires the information denoting ink consumptionstored in the information writing unit of the recording device; and theinformation comparison unit of the control device compares theinformation denoting ink consumption read by the information readingunit with the information denoting ink consumption acquired by theinformation acquisition unit.
 3. The recording system described in claim1, wherein: the recording device has an error information generatingunit that generates error information related to an error that occurred;the information writing unit of the recording device stores the errorinformation generated by the error information generating unit as therelated information, and writes the error information in the memory unitof the ink cartridge; the information reading unit of the control devicereads the error information stored in the memory unit of the inkcartridge; the information acquisition unit of the control deviceacquires the error information stored in the information writing unit ofthe recording device; and the information comparison unit of the controldevice compares the error information read by the information readingunit, and the error information acquired by the information acquisitionunit.
 4. The recording system described in claim 1, wherein: the controldevice has a control unit that generates invoice information based onthe related information when the comparison by the informationcomparison unit determines the information is the same.
 5. The recordingsystem described in claim 1, wherein: the recording device has adetection unit that detects the ink remaining in the ink cartridge, or acomputation unit that calculates the ink remaining in the ink cartridgebased on an ink volume ejected from the recording head; the informationwriting unit of the recording device stores ink end informationindicating ink depletion as the related information when the detectionunit or computation unit determines the remaining ink level is below aspecific level, and writes to the memory unit of the ink cartridge; theinformation reading unit of the control device reads the ink endinformation stored in the memory unit of the ink cartridge; theinformation acquisition unit of the control device acquires the ink endinformation stored in the information writing unit of the recordingdevice; and the information comparison unit of the control devicecompares the ink end information read by the information reading unit,and the ink end information acquired by the information acquisitionunit.
 6. The recording system described in claim 5, wherein: the controldevice has a control unit that determines based on the result read bythe information reading unit if the ink end information is written tothe memory unit, and if the ink end information is written, runs aprocess based on depletion of ink in the ink cartridge.
 7. The recordingsystem described in claim 1, wherein: the ink cartridge can be refilledwith ink.
 8. A control device that is communicatively connected to arecording device that has an ink cartridge holder in which an inkcartridge with a memory unit can be installed, a recording head thatrecords by depositing ink supplied from the ink cartridge on a recordingmedium, and an information writing unit that stores related information,which is information related at least to recording, and writes to thememory unit of the ink cartridge, the control device comprising: aninformation acquisition unit that can communicate with the recordingdevice and acquires the related information in the information writingunit of the recording device; an information reading unit that cancommunicate with the ink cartridge and reads the related information inthe memory unit of the ink cartridge; and an information comparison unitthat compares the related information read by the information readingunit and the related information acquired by the information acquisitionunit.
 9. The control device described in claim 8, wherein: the recordingdevice has an ink consumption detection unit that detects at least theink consumed by recording on the recording medium by the recording head;the information writing unit of the recording device stores informationdenoting the ink consumption detected by the ink consumption detectionunit as the related information, and writes to the memory unit of theink cartridge; the information reading unit reads the informationdenoting ink consumption stored in the memory unit of the ink cartridge;the information acquisition unit acquires the information denoting inkconsumption stored in the information writing unit of the recordingdevice; and the information comparison unit compares the informationdenoting ink consumption read by the information reading unit with theinformation denoting ink consumption acquired by the informationacquisition unit.
 10. The control device described in claim 8, wherein:the recording device has an error information generating unit thatgenerates error information related to an error that occurred; theinformation writing unit of the recording device stores the errorinformation generated by the error information generating unit as therelated information, and writes the error information in the memory unitof the ink cartridge; the information reading unit reads the errorinformation stored in the memory unit of the ink cartridge; theinformation acquisition unit acquires the error information stored inthe information writing unit of the recording device; and theinformation comparison unit compares the error information read by theinformation reading unit, and the error information acquired by theinformation acquisition unit.
 11. The control device described in claim8, further comprising: a control unit that generates invoice informationbased on the related information when the comparison by the informationcomparison unit determines the information is the same.
 12. The controldevice described in claim 8, wherein: the recording device has adetection unit that detects the ink remaining in the ink cartridge, or acomputation unit that calculates the ink remaining in the ink cartridgebased on an ink volume ejected from the recording head; the informationwriting unit of the recording device stores ink end informationindicating ink depletion as the related information when the detectionunit or computation unit determines the remaining ink level is below aspecific level, and writes to the memory unit of the ink cartridge; theinformation reading unit reads the ink end information stored in thememory unit of the ink cartridge; the information acquisition unitacquires the ink end information stored in the information writing unitof the recording device; and the information comparison unit comparesthe ink end information read by the information reading unit, and theink end information acquired by the information acquisition unit. 13.The control device described in claim 12, further comprising: a controlunit that determines based on the result read by the information readingunit if the ink end information is written to the memory unit, and ifthe ink end information is written, runs a process based on depletion ofink in the ink cartridge.
 14. A control method of a control device,comprising steps of : acquiring related information stored in theinformation writing unit of a that has an ink cartridge holder in whichan ink cartridge with a memory unit can be installed, a recording headthat records by depositing ink supplied from the ink cartridge on arecording medium, and an information writing unit that stores relatedinformation, which is information related at least to recording, andwrites to the memory unit of the ink cartridge; reading the relatedinformation in the memory unit of the ink cartridge; and comparing therelated information read by the information reading unit and the relatedinformation acquired by the information acquisition unit.
 15. Thecontrol method of a control device described in claim 14, wherein: therecording device has an ink consumption detection unit that detects atleast the ink consumed by recording on the recording medium by therecording head; the information writing unit of the recording devicestores information denoting the ink consumption detected by the inkconsumption detection unit as the related information, and writes to thememory unit of the ink cartridge; the information reading unit reads theinformation denoting ink consumption stored in the memory unit of theink cartridge; the information acquisition unit acquires the informationdenoting ink consumption stored in the information writing unit of therecording device; and the information comparison unit compares theinformation denoting ink consumption read by the information readingunit with the information denoting ink consumption acquired by theinformation acquisition unit.
 16. The control method of a control devicedescribed in claim 14, wherein: the recording device has an errorinformation generating unit that generates error information related toan error that occurred; the information writing unit of the recordingdevice stores the error information generated by the error informationgenerating unit as the related information, and writes the errorinformation in the memory unit of the ink cartridge; the informationreading unit reads the error information stored in the memory unit ofthe ink cartridge; the information acquisition unit acquires the errorinformation stored in the information writing unit of the recordingdevice; and the information comparison unit compares the errorinformation read by the information reading unit, and the errorinformation acquired by the information acquisition unit.
 17. Thecontrol method of a control device described in claim 14, furthercomprising a step of : generating invoice information based on therelated information when the comparison by the information comparisonunit determines the information is the same.
 18. The control method of acontrol device described in claim 14, wherein: the recording device hasa detection unit that detects the ink remaining in the ink cartridge, ora computation unit that calculates the ink remaining in the inkcartridge based on an ink volume ejected from the recording head; theinformation writing unit of the recording device stores ink endinformation indicating ink depletion as the related information when thedetection unit or computation unit determines the remaining ink level isbelow a specific level, and writes to the memory unit of the inkcartridge; the information reading unit reads the ink end informationstored in the memory unit of the ink cartridge; the informationacquisition unit acquires the ink end information stored in theinformation writing unit of the recording device; and the informationcomparison unit compares the ink end information read by the informationreading unit, and the ink end information acquired by the informationacquisition unit.
 19. The control method of a control device describedin claim 18, wherein: a control unit that determines based on the resultread by the information reading unit if the ink end information iswritten to the memory unit, and if the ink end information is written,runs a process based on depletion of ink in the ink cartridge.
 20. Thecontrol method of a control device described in claim 17, wherein: theink cartridge can be refilled with ink.